10-year term for shooting ex-gangster

Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/6/2010 (3658 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He tried to walk away from a Winnipeg street gang -- and ended up paralyzed for life.

Details of a shocking June 2008 attack emerged publicly for the first time this week, painting a grim picture of the challenge facing those who want to escape a criminal lifestyle.

Justin Meeches, 32, pleaded guilty Monday to shooting the 36-year-old victim in the head and back as revenge for leaving the Indian Posse. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.

"You deserve every minute of the time you will serve," said Queen's Bench Justice Glenn Joyal.

Meeches admits going to the victim's Ross Avenue home, armed with a .22-calibre rifle, and opening fire after his former gang associate opened the door. The victim's spinal cord was severed, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down and confined to a wheelchair.

The man's common-law wife and three young children were in the home at the time. Police sealed off the area and spent hours searching for Meeches, who was able to escape. He wasn't arrested until January 2009 and has been in custody since.

"I hope in the future he can forgive me for what I did. I'm sorry his family had to go through that, too," Meeches told court.

Crown attorney Brent Davidson said the victim had recently left the Indian Posse, which didn't sit well with senior members including Meeches. The man had been receiving several threats from other gangsters preceding the shooting.

"(The victim) felt that the brotherhood the organization was founded upon was disintegrating and that members were simply interested in exerting their power and controlling the drug trade," said Davidson. "He was basically told he better start coming around or there would be problems. He tried to stay out of sight, out of mind."

The victim was prepared for violence but only thought he was going to beaten by Meeches, court was told. Defence lawyer Kathy Bueti said Meeches was also planning to leave the Indian Posse once he "sent a message" by shooting the victim.

"He was taking instructions from another member of the gang," she said. "He didn't necessarily want to kill him... he knew a serious injury was possible."

Meeches was originally charged with attempted murder but the Crown agreed to drop it in exchange for a guilty plea to the lesser offence of discharging a firearm with intent to maim or wound. Davidson said the victim has moved out of the city with his family and had safety concerns about returning to testify.

Meeches has been a member of the Indian Posse since the age of 15 and has a lengthy criminal record, court was told.

He was given double-time credit for the 16 months he has spent in pre-trial custody.

www.mikeoncrime.com

Mike McIntyreReporter

Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.

Your support has enabled us to provide free access to stories about COVID-19 because we believe everyone deserves trusted and critical information during the pandemic.

Our readership has contributed additional funding to give Free Press online subscriptions to those that can’t afford one in these extraordinary times — giving new readers the opportunity to see beyond the headlines and connect with other stories about their community.

To those who have made donations, thank you.

To those able to give and share our journalism with others, please Pay it Forward.

The Free Press has shared COVID-19 stories free of charge because we believe everyone deserves access to trusted and critical information during the pandemic.

While we stand by this decision, it has undoubtedly affected our bottom line.

After nearly 150 years of reporting on our city, we don’t want to stop any time soon. With your support, we’ll be able to forge ahead with our journalistic mission.

If you believe in an independent, transparent, and democratic press, please consider subscribing today.

We understand that some readers cannot afford a subscription during these difficult times and invite them to apply for a free digital subscription through our Pay it Forward program.

The Free Press would like to thank our readers for their patience while comments were not available on our site. We're continuing to work with our commenting software provider on issues with the platform. In the meantime, if you're not able to see comments after logging in to our site, please try refreshing the page.

You can comment on most stories on The Winnipeg Free Press website. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or digital subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

Have Your Say

Comments are open to The Winnipeg Free Press print or digital subscribers only. why?